Outbreak: Ninjago's Dark Dawn

Chapter 14: The Rise of Nekros

The sky above Ninjago City was an apocalyptic canvas of blood red and deep purples, as if the very heavens bled in response to the chaos below. Smoke billowed from crumbling buildings, and the deafening roar of zombies echoed through the streets. The once-great city was now a battlefield of destruction, where only the strong would survive.

Lloyd led the charge, his green energy swirling around him like an ethereal flame as his golden sword sliced through the approaching undead. His heart raced, but his mind was focused. Every move, every step felt heavier than the last, but there was no room for hesitation. The horde was endless—each wave crashing into them like a tidal storm of death.

"We're being overrun!" Jay shouted from a distance, electricity arcing from his nunchucks as he tried to stem the flood of decayed bodies. His voice cracked with desperation, but his strikes were as precise as ever. The pressure of the situation was beginning to crush him, but he wouldn't break. Not yet.

Nya fought at Jay's side, water spinning in intricate circles as she manipulated it to form powerful shields and devastating waves. "Keep pushing! We can't let them get through!" she yelled, though her own confidence wavered. The undead just kept coming, more relentless and dangerous with every strike.

Zane stood nearby, his cold, analytical mind working overtime to find weaknesses in the horde. His ice blasts froze large clusters of zombies in place, but even he knew it wasn't enough. His sensors picked up something in the distance, something... unsettling. His eyes narrowed as he tried to identify the anomaly.

And then there was Garmadon.

Standing on the outskirts of the battle, the former Dark Lord watched the chaos unfold with burning eyes. His hulking form seemed to command the very darkness around him, and yet, there was a spark of doubt in his mind. He could see the desperation in the ninjas' faces, could hear their cries of struggle. But his plan, the one he had pushed for relentlessly, still lingered in his mind.

Garmadon moved to the center of the battlefield, where Lloyd fought valiantly against a particularly vicious group of zombies. He batted away a few with ease before grabbing his son by the shoulder.

"We need to use the weapon, Lloyd," Garmadon growled, his voice a dark rumble. "It's the only way."

Lloyd spun around, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and exhaustion. "I already told you, no! We're not controlling them. I won't turn us into monsters just to fight monsters."

"They will overwhelm us!" Garmadon barked, his grip tightening on Lloyd. "Your ideals are going to get us killed."

The ground shook violently beneath their feet, interrupting the argument. The earth cracked open, and from the chasm emerged a figure cloaked in shadows, exuding a malevolent presence unlike anything they had ever felt.

The battle stopped, if only for a moment, as every eye turned toward the new arrival. Even the zombies seemed to falter, their rotting forms freezing in place as if commanded by a higher power.

The figure floated above the ground, his cloak billowing in an unnatural wind. His face, though partially hidden, revealed glowing, hollow eyes that burned with ancient power. His voice was like a whisper carried on a storm, low and venomous.

"I am Nekros," the figure announced, his voice sending a chill down the spine of every living being on the battlefield. "I am the creator of this chaos, the master of the dead."

Lloyd's blood ran cold. This was the source of everything—the one behind the outbreak, the puppeteer pulling the strings of the undead. Nekros, a name that sent a shiver of dread through the very air.

"I've watched you struggle," Nekros continued, his hollow eyes scanning the ninjas. "Fighting, resisting, but in the end, all will fall. The dead answer only to me."

The ninjas regrouped, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten as they stared up at this new foe. Jay clenched his fists, the panic rising in his chest. "Great, just what we needed. Another world-ending villain."

Zane stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "You are controlling the zombies, manipulating them like pawns. Why?"

Nekros's laugh echoed through the battlefield. "Why? Because I can. Life and death are two sides of the same coin, but death... death always wins."

Before anyone could respond, Nekros raised his hand, and the zombies suddenly moved with terrifying coordination. Their eyes, once empty and mindless, now glowed with intelligence. They were no longer just mindless corpses—they were soldiers, controlled by the will of their master.

The ninjas charged forward, but they were met with a level of resistance they hadn't anticipated. The zombies moved faster, their attacks more precise. Each blow was calculated, and the ninjas found themselves overwhelmed in a matter of moments.

Lloyd swung his sword with all his strength, barely keeping the undead at bay. His mind raced, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. How were they going to win this? How could they stop Nekros and his army of intelligent zombies?

Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the chaos. "You're not fighting alone!"

The ninjas turned to see Cole, stumbling onto the battlefield. His skin was pale, veins of corruption crawling up his arms, but he was still standing. And more than that, his element—the power of Earth—was still with him.

With a roar, Cole slammed his fists into the ground, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. The zombies faltered, giving the ninjas a momentary advantage.

"Cole!" Kai shouted, his heart leaping with both relief and dread. "You shouldn't be here! You're—"

"I'm still me," Cole interrupted, his voice strained but determined. "I'm still a ninja."

Lloyd nodded, the fire of hope rekindling in his chest. "Then let's do this."

The battle raged on, more brutal than ever. Cole fought side by side with his friends, even as the infection inside him continued to spread. He could feel it, gnawing at his sanity, but he pushed it aside. There was no time to worry about himself—not now.

Together, the ninjas faced Nekros's horde, struggling to keep up with the intelligence and coordination of the undead army. But they were relentless, their bond as brothers and warriors stronger than the forces of darkness.

Nekros hovered above them, watching with disdain. "You can't win," he said coldly, his voice reverberating through the battlefield. "The dead are inevitable. You cannot defeat what is already dead."

But Lloyd, his green energy blazing brighter than ever, glared up at Nekros, his voice ringing with defiance. "We've beaten worse. You're just another obstacle."

With that, the ninjas charged forward, ready to face the next challenge, no matter the cost.